In the UK alone there are over 500 different types of weeds that can be found on our lawns. All of these weeds are unique, and have different life cycles and appear at certain times of the year.
If you’ve found your way to this blog, you’re probably wondering how many of these weeds are active throughout the winter months. Well, let’s get into it!
Weed Classifications
To better examine the question “do all weeds die in winter?” it’s beneficial to know the primary life cycle classifications of plants and weeds. These are annual, perennial, and biennial.
Perennial Plants:
The term ‘perennial’ is used to identify any plant that live for longer than 2 years. Perennials typically grow and bloom over the spring and summer, die back in autumn and winter, then regrow from their rootstock (usually a rhizome or underground stem) in the spring. Perennial plants that follow this life cycle are referred to as herbaceous perennials. Perennials live longer than both biennial and annual plants, and perennial weeds are much more difficult to control than biennial and annual weeds.
Biennial Plants:
As the name might suggest, a biennial plant is a plant that takes two years to complete its lifecycle. Biennial plants are usually found in temperate climates. Biennials typically grow their leaves, stems and roots during the first year of their life before going dormant for winter. In the second year they will flower, produce seeds, then die. Biennials can often ‘perform’ like perennials because the new plants that emerge from seed constantly replace plants that have died after their second year.
Annual Plants:
Annual plants complete their lifespan in one year – for more plants to grow, seeds or cuttings from the old plant must be harvested. There are two main subcategories of annual plants, summer annuals and winter annuals. Summer annuals emerge in spring or early summer, producing seeds before they’re killed by the cold weather in autumn/winter. Winter annuals germinate in the autumn and grow through to early spring (October – March) before dying in the summer.
Winter Weeds in the UK:
Shepherd’s Purse
Name: Shepherd’s Purse (Capsella Bursa-Pastoris)
Life Cycle: Winter Annual
Identification: Shepheard’s Purse grows from a rosette of lobed leaves at the base. The stem grows to about 0.2-0.5m tall, and is topped by small white flowers, around 2.5mm in diameter with four petals. There may also be a small number of pointed leaves on the stem.
Hairy Bittercress
Name: Hairy Bittercress (Cardamine Hirsuta)
Life Cycle: Winter Annual
Identification: A majority of Hairy Bittercress leaves grow at the base in a large rosette, although you may find a few on the stem. The leaves are pretty round in shape with smooth edges. These plants tend to not grow taller than 30cm, and at the top you will find petite white flowers with 4 petals.
Purple Dead-Nettle
Name: Purple Dead-Nettle or Purple Archangel (Lamium Purpureum)
Life Cycle: Winter Annual
Identification: Purple Dead-Nettle has a very distinctive square stem, and they usually grow to anywhere between 5-20cm in height. The leaves have fine hairs and are green in colour, fading to purple at the tips. The hood-like petals are a bright purple colour
Common Chickweed
Name: Common Chickweed (Stellaria Media)
Life Cycle: Winter Annual
Identification: In colder climates like the UK, the Common Chickweed is a winter annual, but in warmer areas it can become a perennial evergreen. It has weak and slender stems that can grow up to 40cm tall. The leaves are oval in shape, and the small white flowers have five petals.
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So to answer the question ‘do all weeds die in winter?’ – no, they don’t. There are many weeds in the UK that survive the winter, most typically winter annual weeds. As you can see, a majority of winter weeds in the UK are winter annuals – fortunately, these are generally easier to handle compared to most perennials.
Although winter annuals can be easier to handle than some other weeds, the best way to ensure they are properly taken care of first time around is to hire professional lawn care experts.
Lawn & Weed Expert offer expert seasonal treatments – including winter lawn treatment - so no matter what type of weeds you have growing in your garden, Lawn & Weed Expert are fully equipped to help you out!
If you’re not sure what type of weeds you have in your garden or what treatment is best suited, why not make use of the FREE Lawn surveys offered by Lawn & Weed Expert today? One of our professional team members will survey your lawn and let you know which of our treatments will best benefit the overall health of your lawn.
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Read More: Do Weeds Grow in Cold Weather?
